A New Kind of Battle
by Oddling
Summary: An alternate timeline fic where Goku is diagnosed with the heart disease...how will Vegeta react? (no yaoi, just affection))
1.

Title: A New Kind of Battle  
  
Author: Oddling  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Disclaimer: You know the drill…*mouths along with some random official- sounding person* I do not own DBZ in any shape, size or form …  
  
A/N: This is in the alternate timeline where Goku gets the heart disease…I haven't actually seen any episodes of it, so bear with me if my facts are way off! (Oh btw, there's no yaoi . . . this is strictly friendship!)  
  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta speaks:  
  
I can still remember the day that Kakarrot first found out about his heart disease . . . or rather, I accidentally told him about it. How was I supposed to know that his idiot of a wife hadn't told him yet?! The expression on his face after I rudely reminded him of his quick- approaching demise would haunt me for years to come . . .  
  
  
  
Flashback: 5 years ago  
  
"Goku? Honey? It's time to get up!" Chi-chi gently shook her husband awake, wondering why he was still asleep. "Aren't you supposed to go sparring with Vegeta today?"  
  
Goku awoke instantly and shot out of bed. "Oh yea, I forgot! Whoops! I bet Vegeta's gonna be pretty mad!" He raced around the room, hurriedly putting on his orange gi that he always trained in. "Um . . . Chi-chi? Have you seen my boots anywhere?"  
  
Chi-chi smiled wryly and shook her head as she watched Goku zoom around the house looking for his boots. "They're under the bed, right where you left them!"  
  
He raced back to the bedroom and checked under the bed, and sure enough, there they were. "Heh, there they are!" he exclaimed with a sheepish grin, tugging them on his feet. "Thanks! Well I better go, or else Vegeta might smash me into a cliff or something! Bye, I'll be home for dinner!" There was a flash of orange, and he was out the door before Chi-chi could reply.  
  
She sighed. "Oh Goku," she thought to herself. "You're the sweetest person on this earth, but not exactly the brightest."  
  
With that she went off to the kitchen, where she found their son Gohan busying himself with eating out the contents of the refrigerator.  
  
"GOHAN!"  
  
"Sorry mom! I was hungry!" 


	2. 

"It's about time, Kakarrot!" Vegeta sneered as a very out-of-breath Goku finally arrived at their usual sparring area.  
  
"Sorry 'Geta!" he exclaimed cheerfully, still catching his breath. "I woke up late, and then I couldn't find my boots, so I had to look around the whole house for them, but Chi-chi reminded me that they were under the bed where I left them, which makes sense since, you know, I'm the only one who uses them. They're too big for Gohan and I don't think Chi-chi would really want to wear them…"  
  
The shorter saiyan cut him off impatiently. "That's all well and good, but can you shut up now so we can fight?"  
  
"Sure..just…" Goku took a deep breath. " . . . hold on a minute . . . "  
  
"What's wrong with you? Tired already? We haven't even done anything yet!" Vegeta shot him a weird look, making sure to carefully conceal the concern in his voice.  
  
"I'm fine, it's just a little . . . AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Suddenly Goku clutched his chest and fell to the ground, his eyes squeezed shut in pain.  
  
"Kakarrot!" Vegeta was immediately kneeling next to the fallen saiyan. "Kakarrot, what is it?!"  
  
He gasped for breath as sweat poured down his face. "Chest . . . hurts . . . " That was all he could manage before the pain finally became too much for him, and he passed out cold. Not knowing what else to do, Vegeta picked him up and flew him back to his house.  
  
Nothing bothering with formalities, Vegeta barged into the Son residence with a lifeless Goku in his arms. "Hey! Kakarrot's wife, or son, or whoever! Someone! Isn't there anyone in this blasted house?!"  
  
Chi-chi immediately came running towards the source of the yelling. "Vegeta, honestly, I don't see why you have to . . . GOKU!" she screamed, upon seeing her unconscious husband. "My poor Goku! What have you done to him?!" she demanded shrilly, her voice full of panic.  
  
"I didn't do a thing! We didn't even start fighting and he said his chest hurt and passed out!" Vegeta replied defensively.  
  
"I knew he was training too much!" she muttered, mostly to herself. "I told him so, but would he listen? No! Always doing things that get him into trouble…For once I wish he would just listen to me!"  
  
"Stop nagging, woman!" he growled. "He is not a child! He is a saiyan warrior! How dare you insult our race by even considering that we are weak enough to get sick over a little training!"  
  
"A LITTLE?!"  
  
While the two were arguing loudly, Goten came wandering in to see what all the commotion was about. When he saw his father, he immediately broke up the argument. "MOM! VEGETA-SAN! You guys can argue later! Dad needs to go to a hospital NOW!"  
  
They immediately became silent, realizing that the small boy had a point. Chi-chi took a deep breath, attempting to regain her composure.  
  
"Vegeta, fly Goku over to the hospital . . . that'll be faster than taking the car. I'll take Gohan and get over there as soon as a can." Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Gohan by the hand and rushed towards their car.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
A/N: Sorry if it's going a little slow…I have a bad habit of dragging things out. Actually, this whole STORY drags! (even though I haven't exactly gotten past this chapter yet) So, uh, you shouldn't read any further. Yes. Stop now! Save yourselves! Go! Run away while you still can!!! 


	3. 

Several hours later found the three nervous wrecks sitting in the waiting room. Well, Chi-chi and Vegeta were sitting . . . Gohan was wandering around the room picking up and putting down everything he saw in site. So far he had been around the room 7 times. After that got boring, he switched to picking up things and putting them down in different places. After tensely watching the boy do this for the past hour, Vegeta finally snapped.  
  
"WILL YOU STOP THAT, BRAT?! IT'S DRIVING ME INSANE!"  
  
The whole room suddenly fell silent, and Gohan froze in the middle of picking up a magazine.  
  
"Sorry . . ." he said meekly, dropping it and abruptly plopping down on the ground.  
  
Chi-chi shot the saiyan prince a killer glare and beckoned her son over. "It's ok Gohan, we're all edgy right now. Come here and sit with me."  
  
He obliged, crawling onto her lap and resting his head on her shoulder. She smiled and gently combed back his raven black hair with her fingers. He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes for a minute, and Chi-chi couldn't help but noticing the aura of sweet innocence that surround him.  
  
"Just like his father's used to…" she thought lovingly, but immediately realized what her thought implied. "Silly me, thinking that Goku's not going to make it . . . Of COURSE he'll make it! That Vegeta may be rude and blockheaded, but he's right . . . Goku's too strong to go like this." But no matter how she tried to convince herself of her husband's well being, there was a sense of dread nagging at the back of her mind.  
  
Gohan must have sensed his mother's unease, because he opened his eyes and looked up at her curiously. "Mom?"  
  
"Hmm? What is it, Gohan?" she asked, praying that he wouldn't ask her if Goku would be ok. She was having a hard enough time just trying to convince herself . . . she wasn't sure that she would be able to convince the intuitive boy also. Especially not while his big eyes peered up at her, seemingly searching her soul.  
  
He paused for a minute, deep in thought. "Is dad . . . "  
  
Chi-chi braced herself for the inevitable.  
  
" . . . going to be able to train after he comes back home? Maybe we should make him cut back a little. I mean, we wouldn't want this to happen again."  
  
She let out a mental sigh of relief, thankful for Gohan's naivety. However, when she saw the reassuring look on his face, she knew that he was only trying to make her feel less anxious.  
  
"My little boy," she thought proudly, " always concerned for others. Just like his father…" Afraid that she would burst into tears at any second, Chi-chi embraced Gohan and said fiercely, "No, we wouldn't. After all, your father is going to live a long, long time." 


End file.
